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Know Thyself

Each one of us have different personalities and characteristics that may be our key factors to success. It is important that we know our personalities and take personality tests seriously in order to evaluate ourselves correctly and help ourselves become not just better employers or employees in the work place but also better individuals towards our peers! I highly encourage that all of us try to seek to better ourselves through these tests. 

The first personality test I took was at http://www.16personalities.com.

Honestly, I agree with my MBTI test results because they are accurate and concise. It is true that I am introverted, intuitive, sensitive to feelings, organized and prepared, and turbulent. Ever since I was younger, I did not like being in the lime light or being the centre of attention. It is unlikely of me to confide in crowded places when I want to enjoy or take a break. I would also like to think that I am intuitive because whenever there are problems, I make it to a point to always solve it right away. However, I am also very sensitive to others’ feelings in decision making and I would always incorporate my values because I believe that if you are going to do something that is not aligned to your values, then it would be better not to do it instead. 

It is true that I am organized and prepared because I am self-concious and sensitive to stress. I do not like things to be unplanned. Even when I was still back in grade school, I already set my goals for my life and that is to become a lawyer and help others in need. With that mind set, I have made small and big goals to achieve my dream. Currently, I am still reaching for that dream and would not like to be sidetracked as if I did not plan this in the first place. I would rather have a set goal because it helps ease my anxiety that I won’t be accomplishing anything or that I am not good enough. Lastly, it is true that I am an empathetic person as I love to help others better themselves and their lives. 

The result that I got as an INFJ-T is an advocate and the top careers for INFJ are therapist/counselor, social worker, HR diversity manager, organizational development consultant and customer relations manager. All of these careers are appealing to me because I would like my career to be centered in helping those in need and the careers given are the careers that would directly help individuals in different aspects. 

In becoming a successful business leader, it is important to be empathetic towards your employees, co-workers, and bosses. It is important that we tend to their needs and always make them feel that they are valued. With the knowledge that I am an empath, I can use this to better the well-being of the employees so that they may be more motivated to work and stay with the organization. Inevitably, this will help reduce cost due to job satisfaction. It is also important to be meticulous in decision-making and making the work place as inclusive as it can be. I am also as inclined to being empathetic to the environment because the environment will affect us all, one way or another, not now but maybe in the near future. 

The second personality test that I took is the “BIG 5″ or OCEAN personality test in which your traits are tested and differentiated. I took this test at http://openpsychometrics.org/tests/IPIP-BFFM. 

The introversion level of my MBTI personality test is fairly high and as shown in the OCEAN personality test, my extroversion scored very low which means that they are consistent in nature. I agree with the results because I know for myself that I am not an outgoing person and it truly showed in my personality tests consistently. Based on the OCEAN personality test, I am not an outgoing and social person as I scored poorly in Factor I and that I have minimal emotional stability which means I get hurt easily. In Factor III, I scored fairly high in Agreeableness which means I am friendly and optimistic. Although, I am an introvert, it does not mean I’m not friendly to others. In Factor IV, I scored high in Conscientousness meaning that I am careful and diligent. It also means I am well-organized. Lastly, I scored fairly high as well in Factor V. It means that I am open to new experiences and that I am innovative. 

The results of my MBTI and OCEAN personality tests are consistent in all aspects. All of which I have shared in our discussion in the first personality test may be implied in this discussion as well. In both personality tests, it shows that I am an organized person and that I am careful -may it be in decision making or getting my work done. However, in comparison, the OCEAN personality test does not give as much new information as I thought it would. It was sort of an imitation of the MBTI test but in a more brief but concise manner. 

The third personality test that I took was at https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip where in I was able to build my R-I-A-S-E-C Profile. 

Each characteristic of my RIASEC profile is consistent with what I know about myself. I scored fairly low in the Realistic and Conventional characteristic because as stated above, I am more of an innovative person rather than living by the book. The realistic characteristic also entails outside work and real-world materials which I am not fond of. I scored fairly high in the Social and Investigative characteristics which meant that I am fond of helping and being of service to people which is true. I also like finding solutions for problems right away which contributes to investigative characteristic. I scored moderately for Artistic and Enterprising which is true in how I contemplate in decision-making and working in general. 

Many suggested jobs fitting my profile interest me because they lean to educating and helping others better themselves such as Political Scientist, Rehabilitation Counselors, School Psychologists, and Social Worker. I think I am capable of doing these jobs once I graduate from college. I would like to pursue a career that does not only embody my values, but also pursues my goals in creating a better country and place for everyone, whether it be through changing laws, helping people psychologically, or molding students to become responsible and ethical business leaders. I think these jobs will allow me to have a fulfiling career because it is my advocacy to help others and better their well being.

In comparison to the previous personality tests, my RIASEC profile is consistent when it comes to the level of my introversion/extroversion as it shows in my RIASEC that I am not much of an outgoing or an “outside work” kind of person which is true and consistent with my previous personality tests. Although my RIASEC profile conveys that I am a sociable, friendly and cooperative. I think it is because I may show these characteristics with whom I work and know personally -those who I personally would like to engage with to help and maybe because it is part of my job. 

The last personality test (but not the least) I took was www.selfstir.com. This personality test was different than others because it was dynamic in a way that it does not only analyze results from oneself but also of our peers’ perspective of us. 

By doing the SelfStir personal assessment, I learned that I am an empathetic person and I do not trust people easily when it comes to work. I also do not accept change easily as I am an organized person so I always want to ensure that I am in the right path. My greatest strength is that I am true to my values and that my actions are deep-seated in humility. My greatest weakness is that I do not easily accept change and uncertainty. I consider myself as a resilient person as I have experienced different hardships in life so it surprised me that I, apparently, do not accept change easily. However, the other traits such as being there for others and instilling my values in what I do is something I am aware of myself. 

In all honesty, I am very self-concious and how I give off my first impressions to others. So, I am aware of how others see me as a friend and as a peer/co-worker because that in the workplace and as a friend, I am as authentic as I can be. I personally think this assessment is important in the workplace as it helps you know how others think about you and how you can change yourself once you know your bottom five traits. It is important that we take critiques and learn from them so that we become better employees, peers, and individuals. In conclusion this assessment can help me become an effective leader by showing my different strengths and weakness and from them, I can use it to my advantage to better myself as a leader. For example, one of my bottom five traits is transferring responsibility. I don’t trust easy so this may be a factor or a hindrance to others’ growth. With this knowledge, I may look for different ways in order to change or boost my employees’ morale so that they will be motivated to prove themselves in the workplace. 

Thank you for reading my blog post and I hope you find the interest to take any of the personality test so that you may understand yourself better and become better future leaders of our country and hopefully, the world! 

[jazelescaaa-blog]

Generation Z

Many articles and studies have been written and conducted to assess the new generation entering the work force soon: The Generation Z. Gen Z is the generation that comes after the Millennials. The people who belong in this generation were born between the mid 90s to the early 2000s. For this blog, I would like to address myself as a Gen Z person because I am one and would like to use the term “we” to represent the said generation. By now, most of us are graduating college and going into the real world (which is actually adulting and working!). However, are we truly ready? What do we have in store for the employers and how do we expect them to address us? 

There are five main key issues and challenges faced by Generation Z at school and at work in present time. As true digital natives, we have grown to live and function through and with technology. Technological advances and the use of social media platforms have shaped our ideologies and perspectives. It has greatly influenced how to work and approach tasks that are given to us. Although there are numerous advantages to being tech savvy, there are numerous disadvantages as well. 

The first key issue is that we are a DIY (Do It Yourself Generation). We prefer to have an independent, closed-off workspaces, rather than the big, open, and collaborative environments that millennials are accustomed to. We are private individuals and are less interested in sharing our lives to the public. It may be nice to have some sense of independence. However, this may greatly affect our work ethics once we start working. In the workplace, collaborations are important to further develop and enhance communication for better outcomes. So, this will be a struggle for employers as the generation that came before us are more “extroverted” than us. 

Moreover, this key issue may have started in school as students tend to have serious competitions with one another academically. Most of us want to graduate with honors as Summa Cum Laude or what not. We think that if we can do it on our own, we can do it faster and better because only our ideas will be shown and no one will be there to hold us back. However, more often than not, this is a bad perspective because collaborations of ideas and thoughts are still important to create more functional and effective outputs. 

The second key issue is our FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Our generation suffers from this fear and brings about many conflicts not only in school but also in the workplace. It is the bad habit of always lurking through everything, whether it be social media platforms or different news outlets. Although it is not entirely bad to always be updated, it has it’s downside too. What we see on social media would most likely influence what we want and what we will do in order to get that “want”. We take in information instantaneously and lose interest just as fast. As we see on social media, influencers have different careers at the same time -which would like to pursue as well. It is not bad to be ambitious. However, this burden will be on the manager. Since it is hard to provide for multiple career paths in the workplace, a Gen Z will have to be provided a conducive environment wherein he/she will be able to maximize his/her time in doing tasks so that he/she will not feel like he/she missed out on anything. 

The third key issue is our high demands and expectations to everything. Just like Millennials, we are deemed entitled and selfish. I, myself, would like to disagree on this. However, it is true that we have high demands for brands and retailers to make us feel appreciated and needed. This is the same for school and work settings; we tend to slack off or disregard our tasks if we are not thoroughly engaged in the subject matter. We demand for flexible working hours and to be given multiple positions at the same time. If something is not accessible, authentic and transparent, we disregard them because we feel neglected and not engaged with whatever it is that we have to do or even want to buy. In the end, somehow, we are spoon fed and this will limit our coping skills and increase the sense of entitlement that we should not have in the first place. 

The fourth and fifth key issues are disruption of higher education and being money driven. It is not wrong to be money driven but it can cause to burning out and not being able to do your tasks fruitfully. Many Gen Zs do not find necessity in finishing a college degree. College is deemed to be only for those who are sure of what they want to pursue in life. If you are not ready, then simply, do not go to college yet. This is also because of the fear of school debt. Since we are money driven, we do not want to be in debt before we even start earning on our own. Gen Zs want to make a difference in the world but surviving and thriving are more important for us -this hold us back ethically, so to speak. 

In the readings I have read, I have picked up 5 key points we must improve on as Gen Zs in order to overcome the issues and challenges that we face today. These 5 key points are 1) communication, 2) diversity, 3) optimistic, 4) goal-driven, and 5) socially and environmentally aware. Although we possess most of these, and rather great at large with these qualities, we must still improve on them. We must communicate not only to our peers but also to the world. We must not lose empathy to those who need us and should not be too money driven that we lose the main goal or purpose of our existence. Due to various events that happened, we tend to be more pragmatic than optimistic and sometimes this affects how we live. It is important that we balance both in such a way that is effective for both study and work places. We must use our knowledge in technology to better the world because we are the true natives of these advancements. We are the prime leaders when it comes to interconnecting social progress, multiculturalism and technology.

Thank you for reading my blog! :)

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Code of Ethics/Ethical Executive

A business leader is someone who has the capability to lead and manage resources in order to run business operations and create revenue. However, we must ask: what makes a business leader successful? There are a lot of aspects that should be taken into account such as ethics, purpose, direction or goals, and integrity, among others. 

First, it is necessary for a business leader to have a code of ethics to adhere to in running a business. It is necessary that a business leader is environmentally and socially conscious. For a business to be successful, it must be ethical. Truthfully, having a code of ethics to adhere to, even as employee, can change the way the business runs. It is important that business leaders make ethical decisions for the company because their decisions directly affect the employees and business. 

For example, a business leader is given two choices: a) earn twice as much revenue in the expense of the well-being of his employees or b) earn just a little without having to risk the well-being of his employees. If you were an ethical business leader, what would you choose? The phrase “earn twice” may be blinding to many but it should not be attained in the expense of others. If you choose choice a, in the long run, you earn twice but lose thrice as your employees will want to leave the company and you will have to train new ones and cost more for the lack of employees. It is important that business leaders see employees not just as workers or robots; instead see them as humans with dignities and rights. 

Furthermore, I believe that business leaders should adhere to the call of mother nature to help improve the Earth that we live in. Business leaders should also, always, refrain from corruption and unfair competition. My father taught me when I was younger that if you point your finger to another in bad faith, “yung isang daliri mo nakaturo sakanya pero tatlo ang nakaturo sayo”. 

Second, a business leader must reflect on his/her purpose because his/her purpose is the means to the end goal which is to create a successful and sustainable business. A business leader’s purpose is to lead. The key word here is “lead”. It is important that in reflecting his/her purpose, he/she must stick by his principles and code of ethics (which was explained earlier in this post). There are important principles to note such as respecting the dignity of human work, producing goods that are truly good, and justly allocating the company’s wealth. A business leader should always think of what is beneficial for his/her employees and not just for one’s self. Through this, the employees will be more motivated to work effectively and efficiently and will generally generate bigger revenues for the business.

Third, a business leader is a decision maker. Whatever the leader decides, the people and the business follows accordingly. Thus, it is important that a business leader guides the direction that the organization is taking. Although employees are trained to do their respective duties, it is still important that the leader guides and helps enhance the productivity of the employees. The decisions a business leader make are very crucial to the path the organization wants to take. For example, if the business leader chooses to manipulate customers in order to generate more revenue or if he allows corruption to partake in the operations of the company, we could already see the downfall of a successful business. It is also the business leader who will help employees and the whole organization to see a clearer vision for their company. Once the organization is misguided, the business will not flourish as it should. 

Lastly, integrity is an important quality that a business leader must possess in order to deal with others properly. Integrity is the quality of being honest and morally upright. The integrity of a person is most especially tested in the practice of their professions. In order for one to communicate with another, one must always be honest and kind. As a business leader, having integrity constitutes being of good example to the employees. It will not be hard to deal with others, if you are not problematic and unjust. To hold up injustice is to be at the losing end, always. It is important to always be morally upright when dealing with others so that he/she may fully understand the situations and problems in hand and provide concrete solutions to them. 

In conclusion, I believe that after college, many of us will not only be business leaders, but Lasallian business leaders. As future business leaders, it is utmost important to reflect from time to time. The Lasallian Reflection Framework is the best framework to use in reflecting. The three parts of it are: 1) see-experience, 2) analysis-reflection and 3) commitment-action. As future business leaders, we must follow these steps in creating a more sustainable and wholesome society. We must experience the problems of our society, we must analyze and reflect upon them and then, act and commit to taking such actions accordingly. May we always uphold everything that we have learned in our alma mater and continue to because a christian achiever for God and country.

Thank you for reading this blog and stay tuned for my next ones! :)

xo, Jazel Escanilla